Portas to launch handbag line at HOF

Wednesday 08 August 2012 - Editorial Assistant

Department store chain House of Fraser has announced that retail guru Mary Portas is to extend her collaboration with the group, launching an accessories line this autumn.

Following the success of her womenswear collection, which champions “fashion for grown-ups”, Portas has added a handbag collection to her portfolio which will be available in 10 HOF stores nationwide as well as via the department store’s online store.

Portas’ six House of Fraser Concept Shops on Oxford Street, Westfield and in regional towns will be included in the launch while the Oxford Street store will house a Mary Accessories boutique within its brand new Accessories Room this month.

Commenting on the new collection, Portas said: “We sat down to design our Mary handbag collection with the same intention as when we launched the new clothing range a year ago.

“That is, we wanted to create bags that look totally chic, feel gorgeously luxurious, and multi-task like nobody’s business at a fair and reasonable price.”

Last month, Portas, who was drafted in by the Government to find ways to rejuvenate British high streets, launched the second wave of her ‘Portas Pilots’, which aim to provide financial and professional support to regional towns in the hope of boosting sales.

In May, House of Fraser revealed in its full-year trading report that underlying profit fell with EBITDA dropping from £69.7 million to £58.6 million, though the retailer noted that its multichannel and brand offering were robust enough to deliver change.

Stephanie Chen, Executive Fashion Director at the department store, said that the bags are each named after a genre of music, adding that the accessories launch will be one of the biggest ever.

“The success of Mary’s collection for House of Fraser has been unprecedented,” Chen said.

“An accessories collection was the natural progression for this fast growing lifestyle brand.

“Mary has got the mix of luxury, function and price point just right.”